Maybe it's the high-rated public school system. Maybe it's the great universities. Maybe it's the water. Whatever it is, something in Richmond's soil is perfect for growing edtech startups.
The area has given rise to a wealth of fast-growing companies focused on education, many of which are just getting started on their best school year to date. From programming classes for first-graders to SAT prep to tech internships, a pension for improving young minds has become a cornerstone in Richmond's startup ecosystem.
Here are some of the hottest startups taking on the education industry:
Turning its back on traditional approaches to learning, 2-year-old Codemoji uses emojis as building blocks in teaching students how to code using HTML, CSS and Javascript.
Because Codemoji aims to provide the basics of programming, the platform is oriented toward elementary schools. It also built tools into its platform for teachers, including templates for grading, assessments and lesson plans; tutorials; live support and mechanisms that track student progress.
Codemoji usage has doubled since December 2017 – as of September, it had about 50,000 registered users in 3,000 classrooms. This past spring, it secured $20,000 in funding from the Iowa Startup Accelerator before being accepted into the Lighthouse Labs incubator this summer.
Read more: Codemoji is Teaching Students to Code with a Wink and a Nudge
Led by Joe Belsterling, MajorClarity provides K-12 schools and students a career exploration and academic planning platform. It was built through a yearlong research pilot in 2015 with the NYC Department of Education.
Since launching the platform two years ago, it has grown to cover nearly 500,000 students in 10 states, including nearly 40 percent of districts in Virginia. Belsterling also serves on several councils around workforce development and K-12 education and is involved with Lighthouse Labs’ Education Cohort.
Read more: This Richmond Edtech Startup is Tackling America’s Biggest Misconception About College
Founded by Christine Dawson and software developer Scott Waletzko, Maple brings together a variety of tools to help people identify, work toward and reflect on their personal and professional goals. On the dashboard, users can collect thoughts and scraps of insight in one place. Categories and tags can be assigned to items, reminders can be sent urging users to return to a note or task, and feedback can be solicited from a trusted “Thought Partner” the user has identified.
As of August, Maple boasts about 1,000 users, with a core group of about 10 percent who are consistently in the dashboard. This August, it became one of the newest members of Startup Virginia.
Read more: The Maple App Taps Into Your Psyche One Note at a Time
Trilogy Mentors helps schools and nonprofits launch personalized, online tutoring programs for students at scale using virtual learning software. John Failla launched Trilogy in a UR classroom in 2015, and since then has facilitated over 4,000 hours of instruction with another 5,500 hours in contracts for this academic year.
The team has grown to four full-time employees and over 100 active tutors. Trilogy, which went through Lighthouse Labs in 2016, has so far raised $500,000 in venture capital.
Read more: Trilogy Mentors offers online mentoring to help students achieve their potential
UR graduate Liam Mulcahey founded the College Readiness Initiative in fall 2015, taking time to refine the idea and finalizing the organization's launch in April 2017. The company aims to prepare students for the SAT and other tests by offering free test-taking lessons led by Richmond tutors. It also provides access to free online exams and study materials in an effort to close the gap in access to higher education.
Local startup EdConnective helps school leaders get coaching for teachers when they don’t have the time, funds or staff, aiming to ensure every student has access to an effective teacher and every teacher has access to an effective coach. The company, a Startup Virginia member, pairs teachers with master educators who provide robust coaching at what it says is a fraction of the usual cost. It's led by Will Morris, recipient of the first grant from the Virginia Founders Fund.
The team at Radify Labs is offering experiential learning programs for students to gain real-world experience with in-demand tech skills.
Founded in summer 2015 by CEO Andy Page, the web app started out by providing economic and workforce developers with useful information and tools. Its beta version had a total influence of over 11 million people, including several workforce and economic development organizations. Now, Radify matches students with companies for four-week, online-based internships with partnering technology firms.
